The Travel Corporation (TTC), a family of 40 award-winning travel brands, has become the first global tour operator to introduce verified net zero targets validated by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi). The company has also introduced an industry-leading internal carbon fund to achieve net zero.
In a major reset to its Climate Action Plan, TTC has accelerated its original climate action commitments:
- The organisation has received validation on net zero targets by the Science Based Target initiative (SBTi); making TTC the first tour operator to do so in accordance with the 2021 Net Zero Standard*
- The group’s approach prioritises reductions and eliminates the use of offsets
- TTC has established an internal carbon fund to invest in its net zero transition
- Their not-for-profit foundation, TreadRight, will move to prioritise nature-based solutions, in support of its three pillars of Planet, People and Wildlife
”As a global industry leader, we appreciate the support of our travel industry partners as we take collective action to fight climate change. Our focus is to identify a way forward that marries what science is telling us with solutions to enable our decarbonisation. We need to reduce our emissions and the surest way to do that is through direct investments into our business and our operations,” said Shannon Guihan, The Travel Corporation’s Chief Sustainability Officer & Head of TreadRight. “The Carbon Fund, in concert with our TreadRight Foundation, enables us to invest in decarbonisation in two ways: by utilising the Carbon Fund to reduce the emissions we produce, and by prioritising financial support for nature-based solutions through TreadRight.”
TTC Climate Action Plan Evolution – from carbon neutral to net zero
In 2020, The Travel Corporation which includes brands such as Trafalgar, Contiki, Red Carnation Hotels and Uniworld, launched its sustainability strategy, How We Tread Right (HWTR), setting a goal to be carbon neutral by 2030. TTC’s climate goals have been backed by a five-point Climate Action Plan to measure, reduce, remove, offset and evolve. In 2021, a number of TTC brands including Contiki and the Radical Travel Group, consisting of Haggis Adventures and Highland Explorer Tours – announced that all trips would be carbon-neutral, beginning in 2022.
Science Based Targets
A critical commitment of TTC’s Climate Action Plan is to evolve with climate science, available technology and business practices. In the time since the organisation announced plans to become carbon neutral, its singular focus has been on decarbonisation, appreciating that emitting less carbon into the atmosphere is the most effective means to address climate change. As such, TTC is announcing a reset of its Climate Action Plan, setting ambitious reduction targets and a Carbon Fund to invest in achieving net zero by 2050, replacing its goal to be carbon neutral by 2030.
For more information see: http://www.treadright.org/ https://impact.ttc.com/
